Dubai, Nov 19 (IANS): The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board on Thursday approved an 'Excluded Persons Policy' as part of its Anti-Corruption Code with immediate effect.

The policy enables the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) to exclude the corrupt who are 'non-participants' to the Code to prevent people who attempt to corrupt the sport from involvement in the game. It will also make it an offence for 'participants' to the Code to associate with excluded non-participants.

"This is a significant addition to the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and enables the sport to impose an exclusion order on known corruptors preventing them from any involvement in cricket activities including playing, administration, financing, attendance or any kind of involvement in a league, team or franchise," said the ICC chief executive officer Manu Sawhney.

"It will allow our ACU to better disrupt the activities of non-participant corruptors which currently the ICC have little, if any, control over. This is crucial if we are to continue to protect the integrity of our sport," Sawhney added.